Rajesh Ravindran
With a name as unique and interesting as Sapthamashree Thaskaraha, one expects a a uniqueness in the treatment, if not in the story and in that Anil Radhakrishnan Menon doesn't disappoint.Be it Ocean's Eleven to the forthcoming Happy New Year, Hollywood or Bollywood, everyone associates a heist movie with stylish shots, suave protagonists, cool gadgets and futuristic security systems. In the midst of all that gloss comes this very naadan, Malayalee, down to earth thaskara katha (heist tale). From the small time temple bhandaram thieves, blueprints which are more brown and not a CAD/CAM version, a hospital and circus that we have seen in our cities (unlike what Dhoom 3 would like us to believe) to referring to dates as per Malayalam months, this movie has a Kairaleeyam feel to it. Even the gadget geek is so real that you know you have called him home to repair your motherboard once or twice :). Add to this the natural performances from the non mainstream guys that actually bring a smile to your face its definitely not a bad movie at all.Coming to the movie, the first half is interesting, but the shift from the comic to pathos is a little uneven. So much so that you keep wondering if its a lighthearted movie or a serious one. Both Nedumudi's and Prithviraj's flashbacks are kind of predictable and boring, yet they expect to move you, which they don't. And then the overuse of the much loved Thrissur accent. I loved the way the city is captured, but haven't we already saturated the potential of this sing-song lovely accent of ours? At least a few characters could have been left out from it! The second half, with all the preparation and planning is fun and the music adds to the thrill. But even if you ignore the feeling of "isn't that from xyz movie?", there are so many loopholes and the plan looks so convenient that you are not completely convinced. And the sad part is that these loopholes could have been easily fixed with a quick review of the script. Unfortunately, someone decided to be lazy in giving those finishing touches. Prithviraj needs to be appreciated for being the producer and still giving the limelight to the other actors. Of the sapthamashrees Chemban Vinod, Neeraj Madhav and Sudheer Karamana steal the show while the known faces like Nedumudi Venu, Asif Ali and Prithviraj do nothing special.The music suits the pace and the rock feel contrasts the backdrop very well. The camera captures Thrissur beautifully. Its the script that fails them all.In the end Sapthamashree Thaskaraha has a novelty which is reflected in its name. While heist movies are by rule suave and stylish, here's one that's so Malayalee-garized and naadan that it brings a smile. Unfortunately, the novelty lasts only for a few minutes, and the script with its "oh so convenient" a heist, the overused Thrissur accent and the expected "twist" lets it down.
sesht
Going in to watch this flick, I just knew what I did from its trailers, which, for once, did not give much away, except for the central conceit this plot is twisted around. The movie beings with a separate track, the denouement of which gives us all an idea of the tone of things to come, which, while veering towards the dramatic, keeps it tongue firmly in its cheek, and never removes it all the way, in spite of some of the dark going-on that befalls some of our leads along the way. The narrative is structured around a confessional, which, though being played for laughs, becomes (a tad) relevant to the proceedings in itself, while giving us, the audience, a window into all the goings-on, without it being too intrusive.The plot device of setting up the characters with their back-stories and the lead-up to the central premise has been done-to-death, though quite not so flamboyantly as is the case here, and it IS a welcome change from all the other commercial/mainstream crap one is forced to sit thru in this day and age. The makers (the director credits himself and his CREW towards the end titles, and that is a refreshing attitude to note) have ensured that each and every character is given enough space to breathe, and do not make it just about the main protagonist. Every supporting actor acquits him/herself admirably, and we are rooting for everyone to have their 'happily-ever-after'. Chemban Vinod, the guy whose confession (s?) gives us the window into the lives of all our protagonists, does a solid job, and brings down the house whenever he's on-screen. Neeraj Madhav and Joy Mathew ('1983' alums) are great too, though Joy's not given as much to do as he was in '1983'. The rest of the cast, from Sanusha, to Nedumudi to Prithviraj and Reenu, are all more than adequate and get into the skin of the characters they play, inhabiting them, so to speak.The background score (Sushin Shyam, though the FGM by Rex Vijayan is also quite decent) is very thematic and gives each of the characters and their back-story a smattering of uniqueness, and that IS rare these days, esp. in mainstream Indian cinema (yeah, that's one thing - though the entire flick smacks of being gloriously 'Indie', there are elements, everything to do with the main lead's fan-base, that jar the discerning audience into knowing and understanding that this is one more commercial effort and the fan-base is worth more than a thinking person in the audience). And yes, it has everything to do with how the makers decide to end the flick.Alas! If only had the makers decided to focus on this movie, instead of calling to mind another one of the main lead's recent flick, that had a twisted ending that was relevant in that particular milieu, decide to go and follow that same denouement, that feels so tacked-on here, and removes logic and coherence in all the carefully-strewn pink-herrings throughout, though I'm sure the makers are patting themselves on the back for being this (pseudo) clever.This would've been a 9/10 movie for me, if they just decide to stick the ending. Instead, they chose to stick it up our collective..... And that's a pity. Regardless, a great watch at the cinema. I do wish they'd had English sub-titles, since I got only about 30% of what was transpiring on-screen. Perhaps the DVD sometime.PS: Do NOT miss the prologue and the epilogue. Hilarious!!
srtrishi
I just saw this movie just 2 weeks back and the movie was awesome and it was having much fun and having adventure.The movie is a bit compared to the Hollywood film 'the Italian job",but still he had added much ideas to the film and developed it.this not an idea that a normal director should get,the directer has a special ability to think more.great.this film would be more nice if he didn't compare with the Italian job.still its good and the director was able to add much tragedy and fun.looks like its created very hard and it took a long time.we should, have awesome films to make thoughts like this :).it was not slow and it was having fast actions and good actions.i don't think a normal artist can make a freaking film like this.and i now thank Santhosh Sivan.now just think about him (Santhosh Sivan) he is fantastic thinker.And i again thank Mr.Santhosh Sivan for giving us a great time (watching this film .i feel good now cause he didn't copy the film "italian job" directly.if it was like that i would have written a bad review
